How deep should a pin nailer set the pins?

[Jeff Cord]

Currently my pins are flush with the surface of the wood, not below.
Is this correct or should the pins actually be below the surface of the wood?
thanks,
jeff

[David DeCristoforo]

Not correct. The pins should be "set" below the surface. You might want to increase your air pressure a bit...

[Tom Veatch]

My pin nailer has a depth adjuster. If your does also and it's set to sink the pins below the surface, and they still wind up flush or proud, as David said, look to your air pressure.

[Peter Quinn]

Finish nails should be countersunk to allow room for filler or putty. If they are simply for assembly purposes on blind areas then I suppose it shouldn't matter much either way. It is very difficult to set a pneumatic nail with a traditional nail set, so as suggested it is best handled with depth adjustment on the gun or pressure regulation at the hose or compressor.

If you set the depth too deep or push the pressure to high you may wind up with the pin that drives the nails leaving a long flat mark in the wood, which is difficult to fill or hide. This is bad for the gun and best avoided too.